In two 10-minute segments, hosts Ellen Briggs and Carolina Jantac will ask me to fill you in on the latest about genetically modified (GM) foods, frightening and disturbing news about the weed killer used on most of them, and what you need to know about GM potatoes and apples. If you can’t listen to the broadcast live, go to RadioMD a day or two after the interview, get the podcasts of the two segments, and listen to them at your convenience.

When I wrote Going Against GMOs in 2014, I felt it was important to convey the message that the integrity of more and more of our health-promoting whole foods was at risk. But I was hoping that the list of genetically modified crops on the market, which a growing number of people want to avoid, would remain at nine, as it has been the past four years.

Unfortunately, in March 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration changed that when it “approved” six varieties of a GM potato and two varieties of a GM apple. (I say “approved” in quotes because the FDA doesn’t actually conduct any tests on foods itself but says it’s the company’s continuing responsibility to ensure that foods it markets are safe.)

People typically shop in natural food stores to buy cleaner, healthier foods than what they’ll find in conventional supermarkets. It’s common for shoppers to get confused by the meanings of various labels on products, but many now realize that the “cleanest” of all foods offered in stores are those labeled with the USDA Organic seal. The majority of U.S consumers now say they prefer organic foods and at least occasionally buy and eat organic.

Why the growing preference for organic products? When you choose organically produced products, you:(more…)